Cleaning Products Without The Chemicals

May 17, 2000|By Bob Condor, Tribune Staff Writer.

If you buy your household cleaning products at the supermarket, Debra Lynn Dadd urges you to throw them out and start over.

"The chemicals used in typical cleaners are way stronger than they need to be," says Dadd, a consumer activist and author of "Home Safe Home: Protecting Yourself and Your Family from Everyday Toxics and Harmful Household Products" (Tarcher/Putnam, $18.95). "You can pretty much clean everything in your home with baking soda, vinegar, lemon juice and salt. The one thing you might want to buy at the store is liquid soap, but one without detergents."

Dadd explains that detergents are formulated from petrochemicals while soap is made from natural minerals and fats. Detergents are modern inventions--and a number have been banned because of potential harm to the environment--while soaps have been used for hundreds of years without ill effects, she says.

Dadd is particularly opposed to drain cleaners with such potentially dangerous ingredients as lye, ammonia and petroleum distillates.

"If you change only one cleaning product in your home, this is it," she says.

She is almost equally wary of oven cleaners (aerosol sprays can release tiny droplets of lye and ammonia into the air you breathe), furniture polish (phenol and nitrobenzene are the potentially troublesome chemicals; replace with a mixture of one teaspoon each of olive oil, lemon juice, brandy or whiskey and water), basin and tile cleaners (instead use a non-chlorinated scouring powder, such as Bon Ami), disinfectants (cresol is a chemical ingredient that can penetrate mucous membranes of the respiratory tract) and spot removers (which often contain perchloroethylene, the solvent used by dry cleaners that has been linked to cancer in animal studies).

"I use baking soda in one of those jars for Parmesan cheese with holes in the top," says Dadd. "I sprinkle it for water-soluble jobs such as sinks, countertops, toilets, sinks and shower stalls. Vinegar and liquid soap are good for cutting grease."

In her new best-selling book, "Home Comforts: The Art and Science of Keeping House" (Scribner, $35), author Cheryl Mendelson seconds the opinion on making your own cleaners with baking soda and vinegar. But she recommends using ammonia, bleach and laundry detergents as additional ingredients (in minute amounts, such as a tablespoon for every pint of water) for tougher jobs. Along with the less harsh ingredients for you and the environment, she cautions people to adjust their thinking about household chores.

"To replace the cleaning power of the stronger chemical you choose not to use," Mendelson says, "you need to figure on providing some additional muscle power or be willing to wait longer (for cleaners to act) or both."

Beyond old-fashioned elbow grease, there are other traditional measures than can keep your home clean and safe. One is regular handwashing. Research shows washing your hands with a mild soap and warm water for at least 25 to 30 seconds significantly reduces germs in the household, which can prevent illness. Washing with only water is not as effective, nor are shorter bouts of washing with soap. The rubbing of the hands for the half-minute is the critical factor.

Another time-tested idea is growing house plants. NASA studies found plants can help remove many of the nearly 300 volatile organic chemicals from a sealed spacecraft. The VOCs, common in homes and offices from cleaners and building materials, were causing respiratory problems, burning eyes and throat, headaches and fatigue in astronauts.

Some of the best plants for cleaning the air are the peace lily, lady palm, rubber plant, Boston fern and English ivy.

One caveat: Potting soil can be a breeding ground for mold spores and other indoor allergens. You want to avoid overwatering and maybe look to products such as lightweight pebbles or aquarium gravel as a top layer to prevent mold from settling on the soil surface.

Both Mendelson and Dadd acknowledged that not all of the new environmentally safe or "green" household cleaners are effective.

"My experience is some manufacturers of natural cleaners see the increasing demand for these products, but unfortunately just aren't making products that work," Dadd says. "There's a bit of a trial-and-error method to figuring out which products work. That's why I recommend making your own cleaners."

On its Internet site about indoor air quality for consumers (www.epa.gov/iaq), the EPA advises it is essential to follow directions on any household cleaning product, especially if there's a warning to use only in a well-ventilated area.

People don't think enough about ventilation when using more potent cleaners, says Dr. Leslie Grammer, an allergist at Northwestern University. Ditto for any spring decorating.

"You want to open your windows if you can," says Grammer. "Some of my patients live in high-rise condos with windows that don't open. If they get their places painted, I tell them not to move back in until you can no longer smell the paint."